I have the crop of 2016 sires pretty much defined. My next step is to rate them for ability, distance, surface, precocity, slop, etc. This takes time, but it's actually pretty interesting - I get to find out a lot about sires I'd otherwise be quite unfamiliar with. :) If you have sent me sire information, I will be digging into it within the next few days. I may send you a follow up or two over the course of the next week or so.

Also a note on "Scat Daddy" and "share stocking" :

In anticipation of the yearly sire rerating, some players will acquire shares in one year with the intention of using them the following year after the a sire is rerated. There is nothing wrong with this, and it's perfectly understandable. It's a strategy employed to maximize return on your sim credit/point and makes perfect sense to me.

Please be aware, however, that (similar to the stock market) this strategy comes with some level of risk. For starters, there is a chance a sire is downgraded even though a player expected an upgrade. This is rare, but can happen early on in a sire's career. Small sample size and mare selection can imply that a sire is rated lower than you may think when, in actuality, he's rated higher than you would expect. I rerate sires based on real life performance, not sim performance. Once a sire has developed this is usually not an issue, but it is worth mentioning.

Another (more likely) scenario is the unexpected passing of a sire. Scat Daddy, for instance, passed unexpectedly yesterday at 11 years old. Since he will not be standing for the 2016 season, he will not be able to sire 2 year olds next year. Shares acquired will still be available to breed 2 year olds for the rest of this season and 3 year olds next season. This is not completely unlike what happened when AP Indy was pensioned after a breeding season began. The press release mentioned that no mares could be confirmed in foal so he was immediately removed from siring 2yos going forward. Had the article not mentioned something to the that effect, he would have been allowed to complete the sim season.

I generally err on the side of allowing a horse to continue standing. If, however, it can be confirmed that a horse did not begin a season (Scat Daddy next season) or no mares were confirmed upon pension or death (AP Indy mid season), I will stop the game from allowing those future 2yo breedings as quickly as possible (in Scat Daddy's case that will be upon rollover, so no 2yo will be allowed next year).

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